One of the cool things about doing a Baltic Cruise is some of the fun ports of call that can be on your itinerary. Tallinn, Estonia is not a place I would have ever thought to go and visit on my own, but I am so glad I had the opportunity to do so with Royal Caribbean. Tallinn is Estonia’s capital on the Baltic Sea and is the country’s cultural hub. It is the home to Old Town, featuring cafes, shops, and a 15th-century defensive tower.

We arrived early into Tallinn, so we got off the ship early to make the most of our day. The port is about a 25-minute walk into Old Town, so we opted to take a taxi to the main square since it was actually really warm in Estonia and I wasn’t up for sweating. The walk to the gates of Old Town takes about 15 minutes plus another 10 minutes to the Main Square. There are taxis waiting at the port, but make sure to check their rate sheet to see prices or take an Uber.

Once you are dropped off at the Main Square, there are plenty of cafes and shops to walk all around. For all of you Florida people out there, I got major St. Augustine vibes when visiting Tallinn’s Old Town. They had a lot of the same features and definitely kept feeling like I was right back in Florida!

You can continue to walk up the cobblestoned streets, climb the old stairs, and continue walking until you get to Alexander Nevsky Cathedral. This is a must-see and is usually one of the highlights for many people visiting Tallinn. Alexander Nevksy Cathedral is an orthodox cathedral in Old Town Tallinn. It was built like a typical Russian Revival design between 1894 and 1900, during the period when the country was part of the Russian empire. The church is free to visit, so take a quick look inside to see how beautiful it is! After visiting the church, we went to Domberg Restaurant. It is right behind the cathedral, and you can get some great photos of the church from here. We got to the restaurant right when it opened, so we were able to get a seat outside. Tables will fill up fast outside, so make sure to get there right when it opens if you are wanting to sit outside too! The Saku Beer is the light beer in Tallinn and was refreshing on such a hot day. We didn’t eat food here, so I can’t vouch on how it would taste, but the drinks were good  😊

After a couple of drinks here, we walked down to St. Mary’s Cathedral to check off another cathedral on our list. We didn’t go inside, but you could pay and go in if you wanted to. It was around 12 PM when we started to get hungry, so we headed to Rataskaevu16. This restaurant offers delicious Estonian food in the Old Town and is one of the top-rated restaurants in the city. We got to the restaurant around 11:55, and already there was a long line waiting to get in since it opened at 12! We didn’t have a reservation, but they are definitely recommended since this restaurant is so popular and rightfully so- the food was SO good and delicious! I am so glad we ate here. I did have another reservation set up for Olde Hansa House. This is a Medieval-themed restaurant and more known as a tourist trap with crazy food and fun, but since we weren’t up for a crazy menu or high priced food, we picked Rataskaevu16 instead and am so glad we did.

After lunch, we walked to the Radisson Blu Hotel. Lounge 24 is a rooftop bar offering amazing views of the city, so I knew I had to make sure to go here. The service, views, and drinks, were so good and I’m glad we ended our visit to Estonia at this location. Since our day was short and we had spent so much time and energy doing so much the previous days in Russia, it was nice to have a little bit more downtime.

I loved Tallinn and am so thankful for the opportunity to visit here! Since our day was cut short, I didn’t get to do everything on my list that I had made prior to visiting, but will share for others that may want more recommendations! Other Fun Places to See in Tallinn, Estonia that I would recommend:

Walk up to Toompea Hill (Take a cab from Old Town and ask them to drop you at the crossroad of Toompea and Falgi Tee street)

Tallinn Town Hall

Cafe Maiasmokk (The Oldest cafe in Tallinn)

Paks Margareeta (Fat Margaret Tower)

Love and Travel Dust,

Molly